Melber on Why the Majority Should Rule

Melber on Why the Majority Should Rule

September 1, 2010

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Our government was established in a way that allows for the protection of minority opinion—but Ari Melber has a slightly different plan. "Here’s the idea: majority rules," he said last night during The Daily Rant on The Dylan Ratigan Show. Because most bills must achieve a supermajority in order to pass, and many are threatened by the possibility of a filibuster on behalf of the minority party, a staggering number of them fail in today’s Congress. And the lengthy filibusters waste huge amounts of time while halting progress.

"This is one of those total absurdities in American politics that’s become the norm," Melber says. The key is filibuster reform—limiting the length of time that minority filibusters last. "When the Senate convenes in a new session, it can, completely legally, change the rules to limit how long the minority filibusters last," Melber says. "And the Senate’s changed these filibuster rules before."